Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said “you have to stand up” when addressing Wednesday night why he offered to cover Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s Week 1 NFL fine. Al-Shaair was fined $11,941 after he wore the name Hind Rajab on his eye black during the Texans‘ season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Rajab was a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024. After the news of the NFL’s discipline, Irving posted on X, “I’ll take care of his fine.” “He’s a friend of mine,” Irving said after the Mavericks’ 128-110 season-opening loss to the Houston Rockets. “He’s a brother that I consider in this revolution that a lot of this generation is building. It’s a selfless act when you can show up for others that don’t necessarily have a voice for themselves. … I think small instances of revolutionary acts like wearing people’s names or wearing a child’s name like Hind Rajab on your face and taking the fine and stepping up to the plate.”
